One Chance
by leoslady4ever
Summary: A party to end all parties - all guilds are present and accounted for, but Lucy can't find her friends. She sits at the bar, and who else joins her, but Bacchus. When Bacchus plays the part of perverted jerk, Lucy cuts him off and leaves. Now he's left with a wild sense of regret and a drunken friend who's determined to smack some sense into him. One-shot for luffy fan's contest.


This story was written for **Luffyfan'**s writing contest: topic/126685/85077567/1/#85393697

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_Hiro Mashima owns all things related to Fairy Tail._

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**ONE CHANCE**

The party was going strong as Lucy made her way into the building. She smiled at the sheer number of people present, happy with the turnout of the event. In a rare spectacle, the major guilds had come together, planning this huge party for the members of their guilds to get to know each another. She couldn't help the spurt of excitement she felt coming into the room. She loved meeting new people, and these weren't just regular people, but other mages such as herself.

She walked through, searching the sea of faces for those she was familiar with, only to be surprised when she couldn't find any. _Really, how could the members of the rowdiest guild in Fiore possibly hide, even in such a packed place?_ She strained her ears for any sound that would indicate obnoxious yelling or perhaps even a fight, but could not find a single sign of where her friends could be. She puzzled over the matter for a moment, before swiftly deciding it was the perfect time to make some new friends.

She headed towards the long bar set up towards the side of the room, and climbed atop a pub chair. She scanned the faces around her, but found none she even remotely recognized, so she flagged down the bartender, and ordered a Fuzzy Navel. As the girl behind the counter bustled away, someone plopped down on the seat next to her. Lucy turned her head, and was stunned to find someone she hadn't seen since the Grand Magic Games. Beside her, watching with an amused expression on his face, sat none other than Bacchus.

"Oi Blondie, whatcha doin' over here all alone?" he asked, leaning closer to her face.

The blonde girl rolled her eyes at his use of her hair color as a nickname, and said, "Couldn't you come up with something a bit more original than Blondie?" She reached out as the bartender handed her the frosty glass and took a deep drink. She had a feeling she'd be needing the fortification soon.

The palm mage threw his head back and laughed, before expressing his interest, "Oh, a sassy one!"

"I just don't get why everyone seems to want to give me nicknames. Natsu started Luce, then of course Laxus with his Blondie bit, and Gajeel with the whole Bunny Girl crap...it was only one time," she grumbled to herself.

Bacchus watched her mumbling in amusement, and catching the tail end of her rant, promptly burst out laughing again, "Bunny Girl! How the hell did you get that name?"

The persecuted blonde heaved a sigh, pouting at her misfortune, "It was just once, mind you, but he calls me that because I wore a bunny costume. ONCE, I remind you." Oh, how she wished she'd never donned that costume. It had been a thorn in her side ever since.

"Oh, I think I'd like to see that," the man mused, tossing her a lecherous grin, "Got any pictures?" His eyes trailed to her plump lips, and he found himself wondering what they'd feel like under his own.

She slumped back into her seat, rolling her eyes to stare at the ceiling in humiliation, and offered grudgingly, "No, but Sorcerer's Weekly does." As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. _Why did she tell him that?_

Bacchus perked up in excitement, "How long ago was this? I need to find that issue!" His mind was already racing with possibilities on how to get his hands on such a delicious picture.

"No you don't! And I'm not giving you anymore information about it," Lucy expressed, nodding her head decisively. _Surely, he'd give up once he realized he wouldn't be able to find it easily_.

"C'mon, a contest then! If I beat you at a drinking game, then you have to tell me everything and help me find the picture," he proposed, thoroughly entertained at this point. He hadn't intended to stay here and talk to this girl for so long, but he was finding it to be a rather amusing experience. It was no wonder so many of the men in her guild were interested in her.

The Celestial mage balked at his words, eyeing him incredulously, before giggling hysterically. "Yeah, like that's going to happen!" Her laughs grew louder and louder as she clutched her stomach.

Bacchus watched her with a smile on his face until she finally managed to pull herself together. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Phew, that was funny! I thought you were serious there for a minute!"

He cocked his head to the side and confirmed, eyebrows wagging suggestively, "I was serious. Whaddaya say?"

"You're nuts," she informed him. _Like she'd stand a chance at winning against him in a drinking contest. Hello, he was the DRUNKEN Falcon, and she was damn near a drinking virgin._ "I'd never be able to beat you. I mean, Cana ended up topless after she lost to you. I'd be damn near naked by the end of that game," she explained, sounding completely exasperated.

"Really? Well, in that case, let's play now!" he said, winking at her, "I'll take it easy on you. It'll be fun."

Giving him a look that screamed "You're an idiot", she responded, "I'm sorry, but who would that be fun for? As far as I can tell, you'd be the only one enjoying yourself, cause you'd get to see me without my clothes on."

The palm mage stopped for a moment, considering her words carefully. Lucy watched him think, and wondered if he was finally getting the point. Then he burst her bubble, by saying, "So I'm the only one that would have fun because I'd be seeing you naked..."

Lucy nodded her head, "Yep!"

"And so, you're saying that you wouldn't have fun, because you wouldn't get to see me naked!" he pronounced proudly at his logic.

It took Lucy a moment to realize that she was still nodding her head in agreement. "Agghh! No, that's not what I meant!" she stammered, waving her hands before her frantically.

"If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask," he breathed, suddenly pushing himself into her personal space. He smirked as she flushed, her cheeks heating up at his closeness. She slapped her hands onto his nearly bare chest, unintentionally brushing over one of his nipples.

"Gah!" she growled, struggling to tame the color on her cheeks, "Cut that shit out!"

He eyed her, as she pushed him back into his own seat, his face a mask of cockiness, and offered, "Hmm...I guess just seeing me naked wasn't enough. How long have you wanted to touch me?"

She looked down to where her hands were pressed against him, and swiftly jerked them back as though he were on fire and she was afraid to get burned. He laughed as she went scarlet, and threw an arm across her shoulders, saying, "Come on! You need another drink!"

She glanced down at her glass, disturbed to find that it was in fact empty. _When the hell did that happen?_ She didn't even remember picking it up after the first time. She drew her attention back to the man hanging onto her, barely catching sight of the barmaid before Bacchus sent her scurrying after something else. She hadn't even heard what he'd ordered for her; she could only hope it wasn't anything too strong. She shook his arm from her shoulders, and asked, "Damn, are you always this touchy?"

"Only when I find something I really want," he answered in a tempting rumble, keeping her in his sight as a line of shots were set down in front of each of them. He watched her consider his words, and his eyes were drawn down the length of her body. She really was stunning, beautiful, but not annoyingly stuck up about it.

She wasn't sure how to take him; she couldn't tell if he was being sincere or just playing some sort of game. So, giving him a look of annoyance, she stated matter of factly, "I am not a thing, dumbass. And stop screwing around."

"Who's screwing around?" he asked, instantly going somber, as he leaned in close again, "I'm completely serious."

The air abruptly went heavy, and she watched his face, not knowing how to respond. He'd just admitted he wanted her, and she couldn't say she wasn't flattered. He was older, powerful, funny, carefree, and seriously sexy. She would be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to him, in spite of the stupid ass bet he'd made with Elfman at the Grand Magic Games.

Thinking of that bet made her question his motives once again. Everything pointed to him being a player, and she wasn't interested in that. She wasn't a naïve child, thinking that she'd find some perfect Prince Charming and they'd ride off into the sunset. No, she wasn't foolish or a prude, but she at least wanted a man who wanted no one but her. She wasn't about to be someone's one night stand. She knew she deserved more than that.

Bacchus turned playful a moment later, smirking at her, as he slurred, "Besides, I know you're not a thing. Too damn fine for that. I'm thinking you're a hot woman who'd look amazing sprawled out on my bed."

She sucked in a breath, feeling an odd sense of disappointment, despite already knowing the score. Of course he'd be after her just for sex. That's all any of the guys wanted with her lately. She didn't know why she kept expecting one of the little fuckers to be different. She grabbed her newly acquired shots, downing them one after the other, and slapped some money down on the bar. _She was so done with this shit_. "Thanks for the fun conversation, but you know, I'd have to be a hell of a lot drunker to think I deserved that kind of offer." With that, she walked away, leaving him gaping after her, unsure what had just happened.

He rose to follow her, when a hand slammed down on his shoulder, pushing him back into his seat. He turned angrily to find Cana shaking her head at him in mock pity. She sighed deeply before smacking the back of his head, and saying, "You are a complete moron."

"What the fuck was that for?" Bacchus growled at her, his eyes returning to search the throng of people for a head of blonde hair.

The brunette waited for his attention to return to her, and when it didn't, she reached out to flick his ear with her finger. He rounded on her incredulously, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?!" the card mage screeched in aggravation, "You just upset one of my best friends, and you ask me that?" She stood up, feeling antsy as she paced back and forth in front of him, just getting started on her rant. "You told me," she began, pointing a finger in his face, "That you were done being a player. You said you wanted to find someone to date seriously. So, here you are, meeting a woman who is sweet and pretty, and funny, and honest, and just plain incredible, and what do you do? You insult her. You make her feel like she's worth nothing more than a quick fuck. So, you tell me - what the fuck is wrong with you?!" She finished, her chest heaving, seeing she'd drawn a crowd with her volume.

The palm mage sat there in stunned silence as he thought back over the conversation he'd had with Lucy, and he realized exactly where he'd gone wrong. He'd made her believe he was seriously interested in her, and then gave her some bullshit explanation, making it sound like he just wanted to have sex with her. As he pondered his actions, he began to realize that he really was interested in her. He honestly found her enticing. Cana was right; he was a moron.

He looked up at the girl he'd formed an odd friendship with, and found her smirking at him. "She got to you, didn't she?" Cana asked, already seeing the answer on his face. She held up a hand full of cards, declaring, "Don't try to lie; the cards tell me everything I need to know."

"I don't intend to lie. I'm interested, okay? I'm just not sure how to fix what I just fucked up," Bacchus mumbled, tossing back his almost forgotten row of shots. He wasn't sure what to do next. _Sure, he could go after her, but what the hell could he say? Would she even be willing to listen to him?_

Cana snorted at his dejected countenance and sneered, "Oh, look who's finally being a grown up! I swear, it's a wonder our species hasn't died off already. I can't imagine why we women tolerate you bumbling buffoons long enough to procreate at all."

"I don't have time for this shit. I need to go find her," the man growled, standing to his feet, "Do you have any idea where she would have gone?"

His sarcastic friend stood, her hands on her hips, and asked, "Why should I help you? You're the jerk that sent her running, making her feel like a cheap trick."

Bacchus knew she was right, but he was damned if he was going to stand around listening to her berate him all night. "Forget it, I'll find her on my own," he said, his voice coming out clipped, and stalked off in the direction of the door.

He searched for the elusive woman throughout the life of the party, even going so far as to look for her outside and around town, before reluctantly deciding to give up. Running around all of creation was putting him no closer to finding and getting a fresh start with the intriguing woman. So, he took the only path available to him. He was going to ask for Cana's help. Making his way to the bar, he grunted in frustration at now being unable to find her as well. _Shit, things were not going his way_.

He realized he had two options left. One, he could forget about the blonde beauty, and two, he could make a trip to Magnolia. He shuffled between the two, scrolling through the pros and cons of each, before coming to the conclusion that there, in fact, was no choice to make. He wanted to see her again, plain and simple. He wanted to sit with her again, and this time, really get to know her. He didn't delude himself with ignorant visions of love at first sight or other nonsense of the like. She was just the first woman to fascinate him in such a long time.

He'd been a "love you for the night" kind of man for years, never wanting anything more, never interested in conversing with the women he slept with. He had recently begun getting bored with his life, though, feeling the need for something more. So, he'd decided that it might be time to try finding a woman and sticking with it. He hadn't been certain at the time, that he'd be able to actually go through with it. It had been so long since he'd even bothered with dating; he wasn't sure how to go about it anymore, which greatly showed with his epic fuck-up tonight.

He wasn't at all sure that Lucy would give him the time of day, much less the chance to take her out, but he couldn't keep from taking this chance. She was hot, smart, amusing as hell, and tough. He liked that. Even though it had turned out so badly for him this night, he liked that she'd stood up to him. She had quite simply, in that moment, commanded his respect, and he found that he wanted to see what else she could garner in him. So tomorrow, he would set off to win her over.

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Bacchus stepped up to the double doors of the famous Fairy Tail guild and confidently pushed into the building. He scanned the room, through the various things flying through the air, looking for the petite Celestial mage. His eyes met those of a brunette at the bar, and he slowly made his way through the massive fight to reach her.

"My, my...what are you doing here Bacchus?" Cana asked, not even attempting to keep her voice down, "Come to see someone, perhaps?"

Before he could reply, Erza waltzed up, hearing Cana's question, "Who would he be coming to see?"

The palm mage ignored the red-head, as he focused on his friend, "Where is she, Cana? Is she here?"

"Is who here?" Mira inquired, sidling up next to the small group, her gossip antennae already rising.

The man groaned, causing Cana to chuckle, enjoying his pain entirely too much. "He's looking for Lucy," she suggested, "Aren't you, Bacchus?"

The barmaid gasped in shock as Erza asked curiously, "Why would you be looking for her?"

"They hung out last night, but he-" Cana was cut off as Bacchus slapped his hand over her mouth and pulled her away from the other girls.

He gave a nervous laugh, explaining, "..but I didn't get to tell her goodbye. That's all." He had heard plenty about the wrath of the Titania and the Demon when it came to defending their friend's honor, and he wanted none of it. "We're just gonna go now," he mentioned as he edged out the door with the brunette.

No sooner did the doors shut on their exit than Bacchus turned to his fellow drunk, shouting in exasperation, "What the hell Cana? Are you trying to get me killed? I told you I was going to try to fix it!"

"Yeah, but it was fun, and she's so mad at you..." she sang, smiling widely at his discomfort, "Good luck with that."

"Can you just tell me where to find her?" Bacchus asked, trying to keep from getting aggravated.

She quickly gave him directions to the blonde's house, laughing to herself at his coming fate, and left him with one last jab as she swaggered back towards the guild, "You might wanna pray, cause she's gonna eat you alive."

He made his way to her house, thinking on how he'd convince her to give him another chance. He hadn't come here with a plan, just this instinct to find her, so he wasn't prepared when she was suddenly in front of him. He stopped in the middle of the street, waiting for her to notice him, desperately trying to come up with the words to say. 'Hi' just didn't seem like a brilliant plan.

The decision was made for him, however, when Lucy finally looked up and caught sight of him. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, her voice showing her annoyance. She was honestly shocked to see his tall figure standing there.

"I came here to see you," he answered, smacking himself mentally for the bland comment, "I mean, I came to apologize."

She snorted as she walked past him, tossing over her shoulder, "Whatever. Don't waste your breath."

She made it only a few feet before he'd spun around and grabbed her arm. She whirled on him, her eyes flashing dangerously, speaking with barely concealed anger, "I would advise you to remove your hand, immediately."

"Look, I'm sorry. I just want a chance to talk to you," he assured, holding his hands in front of him in an appeasing manner.

"You already had your chance. Now, why don't you take your sorry perverted ass back home?" she seethed, her voice going deep and low.

He watched as she turned to leave, and called out to her, "Lucy, come on. Please, I'm not like that. Just give me another chance."

Her hands clenched as she faced him again, "Lucy? Don't you mean Blondie? Or how about Baby? Or Honey? Or Hot Stuff? Oh, or a personal favorite, Sweet Cheeks! You guys are all the same. You think you can waltz in, spouting all kinds of bullshit, and we'll just fall into bed with you. You think because you're sexy, that it should win you anything you want. Well, I've got news for you, asshole - I'm worth a hell of a lot more than that. I'm not interested in a playboy. I want a real man, not some slack ass little boy, who shoves his dick into any hole he sees. I won't be your plaything, so you can just go fuck yourself."

The man stood there stunned for a moment as he began to wonder if this was how he'd made all those women in the past feel. He'd always assumed they knew the deal going in, so he hadn't worried about it. Now, he was seeing things on the other side, and he had to admit, it made him look like a real shit. When Cana had said that Lucy would eat him alive, he'd believed she was exaggerating, but he could clearly see now, that she'd been brutally honest.

Lucy stood in front of him, looking for all the world like some warrior princess, her teeth clenched together, her chest heaving. She looked ready to punish him for all his misdeeds. It was intimidating, quite frankly, but in truth, he found her anger and truthfulness incredible. She didn't fawn over him, didn't beg; she demanded that he acknowledge her strength. It was the most attractive thing he'd ever seen.

"I get it now, but I wasn't just interested in fucking you," he began, though seeing her cock her head at his partial lie, he added, "Okay, that may have been my goal at first, but I realized after you handed me my ass at the bar, that I enjoyed talking to you. You're not just hot. You're funny, smart, a little awkward. I'm not going to say I don't want to sleep with you, because I do, but that's not all I want."

The blonde stared at him, rubbing her throbbing head, and sighed, "You know, this game is getting old, and I'm tired of trying to figure out if you're genuine or not. So why don't you just tell me what you want, Bacchus? Why won't you just go away?"

"Because you're the first woman that's really interested me in a long time. And I'm tired of all the meaningless sex. I'm ready to try for something more," the palm mage said, knowing this was probably his last chance to show her how serious he was.

Lucy rolled her eyes at him, saying, "You do realize that you're not helping your case by mentioning all your meaningless sex, right?"

"I was trying to be honest. Didn't you just say you wanted me genuine?" he explained, arching a brow in her direction.

"I didn't say I wanted you any way, but gone," she answered wryly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

He stepped a bit closer to the blonde, his face sporting a grin, and asked, "You don't really want me to leave, now do you? I came all this way just to see you." He finally felt like he was getting somewhere. She may not be ready to date him, but at least she no longer looked ready to kill him.

"Not impressed," she offered, feeling her anger falling away with every word he spoke. She knew that she'd never be able to see deep enough into him to know for sure that he wasn't playing her; all she could do is take a chance, but could she let go and give him the opportunity to hurt her? That's what she was struggling with. Did it make her weak that she wanted to believe him, that she still wanted him?

He smirked a bit in amusement, "Oh, look who's not being honest now? You're a little impressed. Just admit it."

"I'll admit nothing of the sort," she fired back, folded her arms under her breasts, "And you can't make me."

"Well, I could, but you'd probably call me a pervert again," he returned, his face smug with the thoughts of all the things he could do to her. It was a real shame that she probably wouldn't let him. Yet.

Lucy rolled her eyes again, giving an exasperated, but amused sigh, "Such a pervert. Do you think of nothing, but sex?"

"Kind of hard to think of other things, when a gorgeous woman says I'm sexy," the dark haired man said, quirking a lip up suggestively.

"Gah, I was hoping you'd forgotten that," she groaned. This conversation wasn't going the way she'd thought it would. She figured she'd cut him off at the knees and then he'd leave, thinking she wasn't worth the trouble. However, here he stood, refusing to go away, saying only that he wanted a chance.

Bacchus smiled widely, as he reached out to brush her hair out of her eyes, "Like I could forget that." He kept his hand against her face and moved closer, only a breath away, and asked, "So what do you say? One date. That's all I'm asking."

Lucy looked up at him, and considered what he was asking. Could she do that? Could she give him that much? His hand felt so good, holding her cheek, and she couldn't deny that at the moment, all she could think about was kissing him. How could she think of anything else, when he was this close and he was saying everything she wanted to hear? She knew it was probably wiser to back away, safer to ignore everything she was feeling, but she found that she just couldn't. She wanted that chance.

"Okay," she murmured in a soft voice, as her eyes strayed to his lips.

Bacchus reached out with his other hand, cupping her face between the two, and leaned in to press his lips to hers. He almost couldn't believe he had convinced her, but he wasn't going to question it, not when she was returning his kiss and arching into his body. He nipped at her bottom lip, and slipping his tongue into her mouth, deepened the connection further.

His hands moved from her face to wrap around her waist, tugging her closer to him, as she sent hers around his neck. Her heart was pounding, and she wondered if he could feel it too. She poured herself into his kiss, feeling everything inside her flush with heat. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like this; she wasn't sure she ever had. All she knew is that he had somehow ignited something within her, and she wanted more.

Abruptly, the moment was ruined by the sound of a cackling laugh. "Wooo! Give it to her, Bacchus!" Cana called lecherously from just up the road.

They broke apart, Lucy in amusement, and Bacchus in agitation. "Dammit! Do you have to be such a pain in the ass?" the man growled, his humor leaving with the appearance of the troublesome woman.

"Shut up. That's my friend, you're talking about!" Lucy said, smacking him lightly in the chest.

"Hmph, whatever," he grumbled, pulling her back into his chest.

Lucy leaned her head to the side, and brought his head down to whisper in a sultry tone, "You should be happy. She was encouraging you to really give it to me."

"Oh, trust me, I'd like to give it to you," he said, growling his answer into her ear, "All...night...long."

Lucy shivered at his words, and fought not to drag him off to do just that, instead saying, "Maybe after our date, that could be arranged."

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_**A/N: This turned out far different than I'd planned and also a whole lot longer! Oh well, this was fun! Hope you enjoyed it!**_


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